NASCAR insider names the driver on the verge of losing seat, possibly before the season ends

NASCAR Silly Season has been relatively quiet in 2025 compared to last year, but there are still some unknowns. Chief among them is the future of Justin Haley.

Haley is 30 starts into his tenure with Spire Motorsports after replacing Corey Lajoie in the No. 7 Chevrolet with seven races remaining in the 2024 Cup Series season. Haley overperformed for Rick Ware Racing last season. He has underperformed for Spire this season.

According to Jordan Bianchi of The Athletic, “there is no hotter seat in the garage than Haley’s.” Haley doesn’t have much time left to show improvement. If he doesn’t, Spire could make a change, “maybe even before the season is out,” Bianchi reported.

“That ticking sound you hear is the clock counting down on the time Haley has left to improve himself. Spire’s ownership group has been candid that it wants to see results from its sizable investment in the team,” Bianchi wrote. “If Haley doesn’t show considerable improvement, don’t be shocked if Spire opts to go in a different direction, maybe even before the season is out.”

Justin Haley’s NASCAR future is up in the air

Haley, 26, currently sits 29th in the points standings. He’s tallied just one top-10 finish. Haley came into the season with championship-winning crew chief Rodney Childers atop the pit box, but Childers and Spire parted ways just nine races into the season. The crew chief-driver relationship wasn’t a fit, and Spire brought in Ryan Sparks in place of Childers.

While things have been better of late — Haley compiled three consecutive top 20s before Sunday’s race at Iowa Speedway — Haley is still way off the mark when compared to his teammates Carson Hocevar and Michael McDowell. Still, it’s no guarantee that Spire moves on from Haley.

Bianchi noted that working in Haley’s favor is that there isn’t a replacement option Spire views as an obvious upgrade. That could change if Haley continues to struggle. Haley, speaking ahead of last month’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, admitted it’s been a “pretty difficult season.”

“Obviously, it’s been a pretty difficult season, in general, with where we are in the points standing. And kind of what we’ve gone through,” Haley said. “Definitely not what I expected when I started in Daytona, to go through all we’ve been through. But just trying to find a little bit of a silver lining and get some good finishes by the end of the year.”